


In A New York Minute

by SeveralSmallHedgehogs



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Bad ending Au, Canon-typical Cursing, RvB Angst War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 05:57:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7745818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeveralSmallHedgehogs/pseuds/SeveralSmallHedgehogs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's amazing how fast everything can go to shit. One minute Tucker's thinking of a way to survive the battle on Chorus, and the next...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In A New York Minute

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this for an RvB Angst war but didn't have an account, so I'm posting it now. I don't have anyone to beta, so... there may be errors.
> 
> I don't know why I wrote this. I can barely read stuff with major character deaths.
> 
> EDIT: Ok I changed the format and did a couple of edits and that helped a lot

Really, there was no way to tell exactly what went wrong, or when. There was some sort of planning error, maybe. Or somebody wasn’t in position at the right time. Or something else. Maybe they were just unlucky.

          Whatever happened, it happened fast. Tucker had been crouching behind a rock with Wash, under fire on the battlefield on Chorus. Wash and Carolina had already returned from the temple, reporting that they’d killed Felix and Locus. It had seemed like they were home free. They just needed to capture the mercs’ base.

          And then the mercs had showed up again in a sputtering, smoking pelican.

          “You’ve _got_ to be fucking kidding me,” Tucker had said as they watched the pelican crash-land on the field. “I thought you said you killed them!”

          “We thought we did!” Wash’s voice was shrill.

          “Well, you _didn’t!_ ”

          “We dropped a _spaceship_ on them!”

          Carolina broke in over the radio. “Guys, you can argue all you want once we’re through this.”

          Caboose added, “Yes, later everyone can argue nicely.”

          Tucker glared at him- Caboose, unlike Carolina, was within shouting distance. He really hadn’t needed to use the radio. Also, Tucker had learned that glaring at Carolina wasn’t a healthy habit if you wanted to keep all your limbs.

          But Caboose wasn’t paying attention, so the glare was wasted anyway.

          Frustrated, Tucker peered around the boulder and would’ve gotten a bullet in the eye if Wash hadn’t yanked him back. “What are you _doing?_ ” Wash hissed.

          “I don’t know, at least I’m trying to do _something!_ ”

          Wash just shook his head. “Epsilon?” he asked. “Have you got anything?”

          Church’s voice came over the radio: “I’m working on it.”

          “Well, work _faster,_ ” Tucker told him.

          “Hey, shut the fuck up, Tucker. I’m trying to-”

          Tucker didn’t hear the end of whatever he said, because that was when he noticed Wash peering around the rock. “Hey, asshole,” he said, reaching to pull Wash down. “You literally _just_ told me not to-” Suddenly was a _bang,_ and Wash lurched and crumpled to the ground.

          “Wash!” No, no, no, not again. Tucker scrambled over. “Wash, hey, wake up!” He shook his shoulder. There was a dent in his helmet- he’d taken another hit to the head. That couldn’t be good.

Then Wash groaned, and Tucker gave a sigh of relief. Good. He was alive.

Then pain sliced through his leg. He looked down and swore- a bullet had grazed his calf.

“Over here!” A black-armored mercenary had stepped around the boulder, training her rifle on Tucker. “Two of them!”

Tucker glanced at his gun, but the merc caught the action and fingered the trigger. “Don’t even think about it,” she growled.

More soldiers in black arrived, wrestling Tucker to his knees and tying his hands behind his back. He looked over and realized the soldiers had gotten Caboose, too, and dragged him over. They had to hold Wash upright- he was only half conscious, barely able to keep his head up.

          “Well, well, well. Just not a good day for you guys, huh, Tucker?”

          Tucker looked up. Felix stood in front of him, his rifle held across his chest. There was an audible smirk in his voice when he went on, “I told you. Nobody gets the best of me and lives to tell about it.”

          “Fuck off,” Tucker replied, trying to sound angry but only sounding tired.

          “You think you’re really in a position to make suggestions?” Without waiting for a response, Felix addressed Locus. “You can have the rest, but I think _I_ deserve the pleasure of killing Tucker _personally._ ”

          Carolina’s voice cut through the radio- “Tucker? Wash? What’s going on?”

It was Felix who replied, “We’ve got your buddies, Carolina. But don’t worry- we’ll take good care of them.” He turned to the soldiers. “Take their helmets off. I want to see their faces.”

         “Wh- hey!” Tucker yelped as the soldiers obliged. The sounds of the battlefield were clearer and sharper without the metal filtering the noise. Wash grunted in protest when a soldier pulled his helmet off his head.

Tucker, seeing his face here, was suddenly struck by how Wash always looked so much older than he was. Maybe it was the streaks of gray at his temples. Or the scars on his face. Or maybe it was the faint, dark circles under his eyes- although they’d started to fade after the Reds and Blues reunited on Chorus, once Wash was finally able to sleep again.

There was a bruise forming over his eyebrow, where the bullet had hit him earlier. His gray gaze locked with Tucker’s for a moment. Tucker could read his expression easily. But he didn’t want Wash’s fucking apologies.

“You continue to disappoint me, Agent Washington,” said Locus. He stepped around Wash and lifted his rifle. “You will not disappoint me again.” He put the rifle to the back of Wash’s head.

“No,” Tucker managed.

Wash’s gaze dropped. He squeezed his eyes shut and set his jaw.

Tucker lurched forward. “ _NO!_ ”

The gunshot split the air like the _crack_ of lightning.

 Blood splattered the ground. Wash fell forward and landed facedown in the dirt.

“Agent Washingtub!” Caboose cried. Tucker stared at Wash’s motionless form, too stunned to speak. Caboose’s voice increased in volume as he shouted his approximation of Wash’s name again, and again, and again, as if that would make Wash just jump up and start taking down mercs. As if that would bring him back.

In a burst of rage, Tucker wrenched away from the soldiers. But he didn’t get far before they tackled him. He twisted, struggling to get out from under them. ”Get- _off me_ - _you_ \- _fucking-_ ” He froze when something cold touched his temple. Felix was standing over him, holding his gun to Tucker’s head.

“I told you, Private Tucker,” Felix said. “No one gets the best of me… and lives to tell about it.”

Then he pulled the trigger.


End file.
